In today's connected world of devices, most of consumers' media time is spent in front of four video screens, namely their computer, smartphone, tablet and television screens. As used herein, the term “screen” may be used synonymously with a “user device” and “terminal.” The screens users want to use depend upon the context of where they are located (workplace, home, travelling, etc.), what we they want to achieve (shop, make travel plans, watch video, etc.) and how long will it take to achieve their desired results.
Google in The New Multi-screen World: Understanding Cross-platform Consumer Behavior, dated August 2012, and hereafter referred to as Google Multi-Screen, calls this phenomenon as “the new multi-screen world” As explained in Google Multi-Screen, there are at least two different modes of consumer's behavior in context of multi-screen usage, namely: 1) sequential screening as a user moves between screens; and 2) Simultaneous screening where we use multiple screens at the same time.
On average, individuals spend 4.4 hours of leisure time in front of the four screens every day, constituting 90% of all media interactions, where the remaining 10% of media interactions include traditional radio, newspaper and magazine interactions, which are non-screen based. The number of connected devices with screens is rapidly increasing with the growth of connected TVs, tablets and smartphones. In US, the average number of connected devices per household is 5.2.
The resulting new cross-screen digital consumer experience has direct implications with respect to advertising. Brand and performance advertisers follow where their consumers are and, in today's world, they are on all four screens. Furthermore, they are switching screens as they move along a “sales funnel” for their products, making it even more important to follow their consumers across the screens. For example, shopping and trip planning can start on a tablet and finish on a desktop. Also TV, which used to command undivided attention and a perfect vehicle for brand advertising, is not getting the full attention of its viewers. It is often watched along with a companion screen (e.g. a smartphone or tablet), diluting the effectiveness of brand message of a video commercial displayed on TV. The media fragmentation across screens and multiple screen usage to accomplish a purchase decision brings up new opportunities for brand advertisers to reach audiences with the right messages at the right times.
The multiscreen phenomenon is also a household phenomenon. As noted above, the average household has over five connected devices (“screens”) including Smart TV's, computers, smart phones, tablets, etc. By “household” it is generally meant a residential household including at least one, but often several, resident(s), although the term “household” can sometimes refer to other social groups, e.g. businesses or organizations which can include multiple screens and multiple members. Each “household” will have certain attributes which can be targeted for the more effective implementations of advertising campaigns. Therefore, it would be desirable to determine which user devices, of the many millions of connected user devices in use, are associated with a particular household.
Network terminals (e.g. personal computers, laptops, etc.) provided with traditional network browsers (e.g. Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari etc.) are types of connected devices that may have the functionality of providing a “cookie” which tracks browsing activities, personal data, preferences, etc. of a user. For example, cookies have been used to provide relevant advertisements to users of network terminals and could potentially be used to determine personal and/or group demographics. However, users have become increasing wary of cookies, primarily due to privacy issues, and increasing disable the cookie function in their browsers or use cookie-blocking services. Also, some providers of browser software, responding to user demand, are starting to block cookies to varying degrees. For example, Safari has a default setting which blocks all third party cookies. Also, many cookies have an expiration date and many network terminals have applications with network browsing capabilities (e.g. apps in smartphones, tablets, etc.) that don't have cookies. As a result, user cookies are often not available to service providers such as, for example, advertisers so that they can customize the delivery of advertisements to a user.